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Background Audio and Audio Ducking

Background Audio provides comprehensive audio management for your digital signage content, allowing you to create immersive audio experiences with intelligent volume control. Whether you need ambient music, promotional audio, or integrated streaming services, Background Audio gives you precise control over how audio layers and interacts across your content.

Where to Configure Background Audio​

Content-Wide Background Audio​

  1. Navigate to the Content tab in the content editor
  2. Locate the Background Audio section
  3. Configure your audio settings using the available options
  4. Save your changes

Page-Level Background Audio​

  1. Select the target page in your content
  2. Navigate to the page properties panel
  3. Locate the Background Audio section
  4. Configure audio settings specific to this page
  5. Save your changes

Content-Wide Background Audio​

No Audio​

  • Disables background audio completely
  • Useful for silent pages or when only widget audio should play

Single Audio​

  • Plays the selected audio file once
  • Audio stops when the file completes
  • Ideal for announcements or one-time audio cues

Repeating Audio​

  • Continuously loops the selected audio file
  • Seamless transitions between loop iterations
  • Perfect for ambient music or atmospheric audio

Playlist Audio​

  • Plays audio files from a selected playlist
  • Follows playlist order and collection playback settings
  • Enables diverse audio content without manual management

Stream Audio​

  • Plays audio from a live streaming URL
  • Supports standard streaming protocols
  • Ideal for radio stations or live audio feeds

Pandora CloudCover Audio​

  • Integrates with Pandora's CloudCover streaming service
  • Accepts CloudCover URL for playback
  • Availability: Only works on https://*.wallboard.us servers due to CloudCover's content embedding policy
  • Licensing: Requires valid CloudCover subscription and URL
CloudCover Availability

Pandora CloudCover Audio is only available on Wallboard servers hosted at *.wallboard.us domains. This limitation is due to CloudCover's content embedding policy. Verify your server URL before selecting this option.

Audio Ducking Feature​

What is Audio Ducking?​

Audio Ducking automatically reduces (or "ducks") the content-wide background audio volume when certain widgets play their own audio. This prevents audio overlap and creates a professional, polished audio experience.

Ducking-Capable Widgets:

  • Stream Widget
  • Video Widget
  • Videos Widget
  • Content Widget (embedded content)
  • Contents Widget (multiple embedded contents)
  • Media Widget
  • Audio Widget
  • Channel Widget
  • YouTube Widget

Enable Ducking​

Toggle: On/Off (default: Off)

When enabled, content-wide background audio will automatically reduce its volume when:

  • A page with its own background audio is displayed
  • Any ducking-capable widget on the current page plays audio
Page Audio Behavior

Content-wide background audio ducks for page-level background audio, but page-level background audio does not duck for widget audio. Both page audio and widget audio will play simultaneously, which may result in audio overlap. Plan your audio layers accordingly.

Duck Level​

Range: 0-100

  • 0: Complete mute (background audio is silenced)
  • 100: Full volume (no ducking occurs)

The duck level determines the target volume for content-wide background audio when ducking is triggered. Adjust this value to find the right balance between background audio and foreground content.

Fade Duration​

Range: 0+ milliseconds (default: 0)

Controls the transition time for volume changes when ducking occurs:

  • 0 milliseconds: Instant volume change (immediate duck)
  • 100-300 milliseconds: Smooth, professional transition
  • 500+ milliseconds: Very gradual, subtle volume adjustment
info

During fade transitions,and ducking time the background audio continues playing.

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